Just when you thought it was safe to go back to your beanie comes Zaphat – the incredible new apparel line from Zappar.

Zaphat is an amazing new way to have fun with your friends, linking the real and digital worlds to create mind-melting augmented reality experiences through 3D virtual masks triggered by your hat. Remember that film The Mask? Well here’s that brought to life!

Look at a Zaphat through the free Zappar app to activate 3D visuals, animation & interactive experiences to appear over the top of your real head and then track with your movements. They’re astounding to look at, wonderfully social and most of all, great fun for everybody involved! You can take photos or video and send round to your friends.

Zaphat will be out on the market real soon, but if you’d like the chance to be part of the Beta program and help shape the future of apparel, then signup using the form below.

So how does it work?

The logo on the front of your Zaphat acts as a target that allows the technology in the Zappar app to cleverly track the position and orientation of your head and then overlay new, three-dimensional virtual content on top.

Every Zaphat comes with a completely unique version of the logo stitched on, which means that you can decide what’s shown when your hat gets zapped. Alongside the cool free content that comes with registering your Zaphat, you can use the in-app store to purchase loads of other amazing & amusing original and licensed content.

Wearing a Zaphat is an interactive experience for everyone involved; the wearer of the hat (The Zappee, if you like) gets to entertain the crowd, while the person zapping (The Zapper) can both play with the interactive features of the zap or choose when to capture images and video to share with friends.

Remember, the Zaphat is for sharing – No-one will be able to resist trying it on!

Zaphat – launched at MAGIC Marketplace in Las Vegas – will be available for the holiday season

LAS VEGAS, NV – August 20, 2012 – Zappar, the global leader in augmented reality-enabled retail products, today launched Zaphat. By combining proprietary mobile technology in the form of the free-to-download Zappar app with a Zappar branded hat, you can see animated, interactive 3D masks through your mobile device on the faces of your friends wearing Zaphats. The masks move with the hats once they’re Zapped and can then be shared on your social networks directly from the app with photos and, for the first time, short form video as Gifs. Zaphat will debut at the premiere fashion and apparel event MAGIC Marketplace at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV.

Using Zaphat involves a simple three-step process: 1) purchase a Zaphat from selected stores and online channels; 2) download the free Zappar app from the iOS or Android app store; 3) point a device – mobile phone or tablet – with the downloaded Zappar app at a person wearing a Zaphat and watch a digital mask appear over the person’s face. From cartoon characters to scary monsters to medieval knights, Zaphat offers a myriad of options to personalize the user experience for different occasions – holidays, Halloween or Superbowl Sunday. From there, the Zappar app allows you to snap a picture or short film of the experience to share across popular social networks so friends and family can join the fun.

“The Zaphat is a new and entertaining way for consumers to Zap themselves with wearable technology – linking your real and digital worlds through an augmented reality app. We’re taking the oldest form of dress up through masks and re-inventing them for the digital world with the wardrobe staple of beanies. Just add a little Zappar magic to your everyday,” said Caspar Thykier, founder and managing director, Zappar. “We’re actively partnering with retailers to integrate augmented reality strategies that will create surprising and engaging consumer experiences by breathing new life into mass market product sectors and connecting them to the digital age through mobile devices.”

In addition to the free content that comes with a Zaphat, you can purchase other original and licensed content within the Zappar app via an in-app purchase.

Zappar is the first company in the world to develop an augmented reality-enabled apparel collection with both its own label and licensed products available at several leading retailers including JCPenney, Target, Macy’s and Walmart. More than 500,000 unique users have taken over 1.2 million total Zaps since May 2011 – currently averaging 47,000 Zaps per week. Other successful applications developed by Zappar include the world’s first augmented reality-enabled greetings cards, magazine collaborations and promotions for games, movies, and TV – through work on some of the biggest global licenses, including Hasbro, WWE and MLB.

Zappar is a proprietary platform for mobile phones and tablets that turns products and images into bite-sized entertainment experiences. Zappar works closely with brands, license partners and retailers across the world to produce innovative, customizable market-leading solutions. For more information, please visit www.zappar.com.